If the Chicago Bulls select Derrick Rose with the 1st pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, then the Sam Presti should offer Chris Wilcox and Luke Ridnour to John Paxson for Kirk Hinrich -- whose base-year compensation status doesn't expire until 7/1/2008 -- and some scrub who'd be salary filler (e.g., Cedric Simmons).

With a taller floor general like Hinrich on the Seattle SuperSonics, Presti could be more comfortable with drafting an undersized shooting guard in Jerryd Bayless. Although Bayless could eventually progress into a legitimate playmaker -- which was the case with Chauncey Billups' career -- that's not an automatic thing.

Meanwhile, though, Bayless would be best utilized playing off the ball in the backcourt alongside a proficient distributor -- who's a stout one-on-one perimeter defender, too -- ergo, Hinrich is the perfect target. Of course, that's just one of many hypothetical situations that could play out within the next several weeks.

A couple things interest me about the Sonics being @ 4. One is that if Bayless drops he would be probably become the pre-eminent pick for the Sonics regardless of whose left on the board.

But what if the Iron Ranger (McHale) takes Bayless @ 3 and Mayo is one of the few options left? Given the Sonics difficulties scoring isn't OJ Mayo at least the best opportunity to bring in a seriously talented player for the long haul with the 4th spot that makes them better significantly?

I don't mean there aren't other talented players out there, but the Sonics already have role players, and Durant/Green who do what they do. They really need a guy who can put up shots, other than Durant, and there isn't anybody in the draft who qualifies as a chucker more than OJ Mayo.

I'd be OK with OJ Mayo, Bayless, or Lopez. If we did as AK1984 suggested and get Hinrich, I'd hope we'd draft Mayo instead of Bayless, as I don't see a real point in two PGs. I like Bayless, I just wish his defense was a bit better. As for Lopez, he seems to be the best big, though I didn't think he was that much better than Hawes when they were both freshman.I still say CDR or Rush for our 24th pick if we don't take a SG with our 4th pick. I always hated taking a project in the late 1st round, especially if a polished player is available, and ESPECIALLY since we have 3 2nd round picks to take projects from overseas.

I hope we get Mayo or Bayless, I'm not sure which we want more. Bayless, because I'd love to trade Earl and/or Luke and get a fresh core in there. But Mayo is tempting for all the reasons already said...

I'm okay with the 4 as well. My nightmare all week was that we'd actually get one of the top two, which would lead to even more dirty shenanigans from Bennett/Stern to uproot the team.

Although, my retardedly optimistic side was thinking that in a perfect world, we get the #1, draft Rose, Schultz wins the team back, selling it to Ballmer, who asks me to do the new Sonics logo, for which I get lifetime courtside seats... It could happen.

"Hinrich=Bayless could work if Hinrich bounces back to his better self but last season was his worst on offense and was below league average on both individual and team defense.

It is not a bad bet but it is a bet." {Crow}

Jerryd Bayless, whose closest comparison right now is Monta Ellis, has several question marks -- such as his porous defense and inability to facilitate an offense -- thus, I'm not at all sold on him. Bayless would need to be paired with a backcourt partner like Kirk Hinrich, so as to mask his flaws; otherwise, he'd be exposed at the NBA level.

Anyhow, O.J. Mayo is definitely the most talented combo guard available in the 2008 NBA Draft -- as Bayless sucks on defense, Russell Westbrook is raw offensively, and Eric Gordon has a limited skill set -- nonetheless, he's got a ton of red flags concerning character issues. Yet, due to today's events, I'd be satisfied with a backcourt duo of Mayo and Earl Watson.

I, however, expect that the Minnesota Timberwolves will select Mayo -- despite its need for a defensive-minded interior presence like Brook Lopez to team with Al Jefferson on the frontline -- even though there's already an undersized shooting guard (i.e., Rashad McCants) and a combo guard (i.e., Randy Foye) on the roster.

In all likelihood, Mayo's immense potential -- and, of course, tag as "best player available" (a.k.a., BPA) at the 3rd pick -- will win over Glen Taylor, Kevin McHale, et al. That, therefore, will place Sam Presti in a very, very precarious position. Hell, no matter the results, it'll be interesting to see Presti choose a direction.

Of all the teams in the Lottery in the last three years - the Bulls might be the ONLY team that didn't lose on purpose in order to get a higher pick (in part because they've been picking with the Knicks pick the last two years).

Seattle was losing on purpose (via their personnel moves, not their in-game coaching). Minnesota? Memphis? Miami? The Bulls never shut it down this season.

The Bulls deserve as much good luck as any other team, because they've been trying their a$s off to put a winning product on the floor every game of the season.

Just because the Bulls didn't purposely tank doesn't mean I can't be completely sick of listening to the inane babble of Bulls fans. It must be a Chi-town thing in general, but it seems like nothing the GM's do here is ever wrong. How else could a fanbase defend Rex Grossman?

Anyway, yeah I'm glad they didn't tank, but the Sonics didn't either. Also I want the best possible players in the fight to keep Seattle in Seattle.

it's disappointing to see us fourth, since we gave away almost everything for draft picks, and now we ended up having 4th, nearly the worst position we could have got, and some 24-32-46-50-56 respectively.

i won't talk much about the 4th pick, since you guys do it very well. but i believe we can steal some european prospects in those 24-32 (seems like a code to save the world like those in "lost") such as alexis ajinca of france, ante tomic of croatia or georgian giorgi shermadini, and hope that they will turn out as the new gasol or yao :)

just lookin' on the bright side. but if i see the glass half empty, i still feel robbed for getting 24-bla-bla after trading every asset we got. i know that some of the draft rights we got from the cavs-bulls deal will come to life next year, but it still hurts.

"I wonder if Presti will consider dealing up with Miami for the #2..." {eric reynolds}

Neither the Chicago Bulls nor the Miami Heat are trading down from the 1st pick or the 2nd pick, respectively, so there's no point in thinking about it.

Anyhow, I'm intrigued by the Chicago Bulls situation. While Michael Beasley would currently be the best fit for that team -- especially since Tyrus Thomas is seemingly the second-coming of Stromile Swift -- Derrick Rose is nevertheless a hometown boy who's got a bright future ahead of him.

Nonetheless, I honestly hope that the Bulls go with Rose; that'd thereby place Kirk Hinrich immediately on the trading block. Yet, 'cause Hinrich is a base-year compensation player 'til 7/1/2008, he wouldn't likely be dealt for several days after the 2008 NBA Draft.

As it is, a frequently mentioned option for the Bulls would be to trade Hinrich to the Denver Nuggets for Marcus Camby. However, Camby rarely scores down on the low block, is an inadequate man-to-man low-post defender -- for most of his impact defensively comes as weakside help -- and is in his mid-30s.

The Seattle SuperSonics, on the other hand, could offer a package of Chris Wilcox and Luke Ridnour for Hinrich and someone who'd be salary filler (e.g., Cedric Simmons). Regarding everything from skill set to contractual status, Wilcox would assimilate better than Camby in the "Windy City".

A frontcourt quintet of Joakim Noah, Drew Gooden, Wilcox, Thomas, and Aaron Gray would give the Bulls depth and versatility in the paint. Also, Ridnour would provide Rose with a veteran backup who'd help him adjust to being a point guard in the NBA.

I like AK's idea for getting Hinrich. As mediocre as he was this year, he'd surely be an improvement over Watson and Ridnour. I was thinking about who the Heat may make availble after their pick, and came to the realization that their team really really sucks--not a single (even remotely) desirable player outside of Wade and Marion...Not sure if OJ Mayo would be keen about signing with the Sonics. Wasn't his main reason for choosing USC its media-accessibility? Can't imagine he'd be excited about a team that plays in Seattle (not exactly Hollywood), and may move to Oklahoma City (even worse). I can see a Steve-Francis-situation happening. Although, it would make a good case for Oklahoma City not being a "major league city."

Regarding the five later picks, I wonder how many we'll use, and how many we'll trade. We already have a lot of contracts--there's no way we can take on six more contracts...This may hurt Presti's leverage in trading the late second rounders, as everyone will know that he needs to get rid of some picks...

Obviously you weren't able to watch a great deal of Bulls games in Seattle (or wherever you are) if you think that Tyrus Thomas is the 2nd coming of Stromile Swift.

What's the difference between Tyson Chandler on the Bulls and Tyson Chandler on the Hornets? Two words: Chris Paul. We'll see the same type of improvement with Tyrus if he has a PG the caliber of Chris Paul. He's an excellent jumper and finisher, a great defender, and he's still learning to handle the ball and make mid-range jumpers. He'll be very good with a true NBA all-star PG.

And there's no way the Bulls will take Ridnour and Wilcox with their log-jams at G and PF. Where would Ridnour fit in with Rose, Ben Gordon, Larry Hughes, and Thabo Sefolosha. The Bulls have been trying to get 'taller' and more athletic - two words that have never been used on Luke Ridnour. And there aren't many minutes remaining for Wilcox after Noah, Thomas, Gooden, especially with Deng and Nocioni at the 3 (and Noc sometimes playing PF in small lineups). Gooden and Wilcox are both the same size, and Gooden averaged 14 & 9 for the Bulls last season. Wilcox doesn't add anything new and only creates more problems in getting guys minutes.

Now, if Seattle wanted to take on Larry Hughes' bad contract in tandem with a proposed trade for Kirk Hinrich.....then there's hope for a trade!!

Paxson might be more likely to sign n trade Gordon, or try to package Hughes or Sefolosha than trade Hinrich.No way Duhon is re-signed.Drafting Hinrich was his first action as GM and he probably has an affinity towards him.

Hinrich has been better 3 of his 4 previous years overall but he actually shot about the same as this season (below average) in 2 of those 4 years.

Hinrich should be on the hot seat at that salary and at this time but I'd guess that he gets one more season to get on track and perhaps show a rookie the ropes / allow him to ease in.

If Bayless isn't a great facilitator of the offense (can't play great pg) and isn't a great defense, how is he any better than Eric Gordon? I would not mind trading down to pick 8 or 10 and just getting DJ Augustin, who in my mind is a safe bet to be a good pg in the Andre Miller mold (except he shot 44% on threes last year). He also has played a year with Durant.For the 24th pick, I've already said CDR and or Rush, but I agree with one of the previous posters on the european bigs. I hate getting 7' projects, but Alexis Ajinca at least looks like he has an NBA body with big arms. I like Swift, but I think it's time to trade him while he still retains soem value.Also, if we do trade down from our #4 pick, anyone know anything about Anthony Randolph, the 6'11" freshman from LSU? I don't like his low 46% FG percentage, but he is tall and explosive with a long wing span, so even though he's compared more often to Marion and Gay, one can always hope for an Amare.

"What's the difference between Tyson Chandler on the Bulls and Tyson Chandler on the Hornets? Two words: Chris Paul. We'll see the same type of improvement with Tyrus if he has a PG the caliber of Chris Paul. He's an excellent jumper and finisher, a great defender, and he's still learning to handle the ball and make mid-range jumpers. He'll be very good with a true NBA all-star PG."

Instead, Thomas is a new-age power forward who's unfortunately got piss-poor ball-handling skills and a shaky mid-range jumper. In fact, the only two things that Thomas bring to the table are raw athleticism and top-notch weakside help defense.

"And there's no way the Bulls will take Ridnour and Wilcox with their log-jams at G and PF. Where would Ridnour fit in with Rose, Ben Gordon, Larry Hughes, and Thabo Sefolosha. The Bulls have been trying to get 'taller' and more athletic - two words that have never been used on Luke Ridnour. And there aren't many minutes remaining for Wilcox after Noah, Thomas, Gooden, especially with Deng and Nocioni at the 3 (and Noc sometimes playing PF in small lineups). Gooden and Wilcox are both the same size, and Gooden averaged 14 & 9 for the Bulls last season. Wilcox doesn't add anything new and only creates more problems in getting guys minutes."

Chris Wilcox would admittedly be somewhat superfluous for the Chicago Bulls, as Drew Gooden is already in the fold. In addition, it's easy to see how most teams would be averse to Luke Ridnour; I certainly can't stand him. The same can be said for Larry Hughes, though, so good luck with him.

I, however, will argue that neither Luol Deng nor Andres Nocioni should play any minutes at power forward. They don't have the size -- which is due to Deng's lack of bulk and Nocioni's 6'7" tall frame -- to adequately defend bigger players. All in all, Deng and Nocioni are a defensive liability when playing alongside each other.

"why dont we trade all our 2nd round picks and ridnour for miamis #2 and still pick up Brandon Rush at 24? that makes sense right?"

It was mentioned that we could have ended up with the 5th pick. Which is correct. We would have gotten the 5th if Miami didn't get a top 3 pick, then Miami would be 4 and we would be 5.

Assume Beasley/Rose/Mayo will be the first 3 picks.

I don't think trading up will be a possibility.

I like Bayless with the 4th pick. Best shooter in this years draft by far. Bayless is a Ray Allen level shooter. I am not so worried about the playmaking skills. Durant can blow by people with either hand, he doesn't need a 'chris paul'. I am not sure where Bayless got the reputation of being a poor defender. He isn't lock-down by any means but is certainly a willing defender. With his size and athleticism he projects well at defending the point.

Bayless/Durant/Green/Collison/Petro

Thats a nice team.

Bayless could turn out to be the best player in this draft. I don't think Rose is head over heels above the other guards. Definitely not as good of a scorer as Mayo or Bayless and he had CDR to dish off to for assists.

I also really like CDR or Brandon Rush if available with the Suns pick.

I am pissed the Bulls got the #1 pick. I think it is totally unfair! The Bulls won sooo many championships in the 90's there is no way they deserve anymore anytime soon. Also, they were in the playoffs the last two seasons. They suck it up one year and suddenly get the #1 pick. It is so rare for a team as good as the Bulls to get the #1 pick. Ridiculous.

Still, I can't really complain because without the lottery system as it is we don't get Durant last year. I would much rather have Durant and the #4 pick this year than the #2 pick this year and the #5 last year.